In typical heating plants the heat is generally supplied in an open circulation system in which air is compressed and fed to a burning chamber where it is burned with a specified fuel. The resultant high pressure and high temperature gases are then expanded in a gas turbine, and the remainder of the heat is then fed for use in a heat exchanger such as waste heat boiler. In these heat exchangers, this heat is then used for the evaporation of water, which then circulates in a closed circulation system. The steam thus created is expanded in a condensation steam turbine to a condensation pressure of about 0.04 bar, for example, is then condensed with cooling water in a heat exchanger, and then again pumped to the heat exchanger. For use in heating, the steam can then be taken from the steam turbine and again condensed with a heat carrier such as hot water.
In heating plants of this type the supplied heat is not efficiently used with variations in temperature. Furthermore, the extraction of heat from the steady circulation generally inadvertently leads to an increased cost in the production of mechanical energy.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to convert heat in such a method in which heat can be supplied without having to necessarily decrease the portion of that heat which is converted into mechanical energy.